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Surveys · head to head

Paperform vs Umami

Paperform logo

Paperform

Surveys

Forms that feel like you

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Umami logo

Umami

Marketing

Open source, cookie-free web analytics you can self-host for the cost of a database

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Paperform free plan limited to 30 submissions per month; Umami there is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paperform and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Paperform and Umami differ
AttributePaperformUmami
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by event count
PlatformsWebWeb, Linux
CategorySurveysMarketing

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Paperform

Nothing recorded that Umami does not also cover.

Only in Umami

  • Cookie-free tracking
  • Self-hosting
  • Small tracking script
  • Custom events
  • Funnels and goals
  • Multi-site and teams
  • Public dashboards
  • API access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Paperform

  • Creating multi-step application forms with conditional field displaynot Umami
  • Building payment collection forms for online invoicingnot Umami
  • Setting up appointment scheduling with calendar integrationnot Umami
  • Collecting customer signatures on contracts and agreementsnot Umami

Umami

  • A developer who wants traffic numbers on a personal or client site without adding a consent bannernot Paperform
  • An organisation whose legal or procurement team has ruled out sending visitor data to a US advertising companynot Paperform
  • A high-traffic site where hosted analytics priced by pageview band has become expensive and self-hosting removes the ceiling entirelynot Paperform
  • A team that wants analytics data in a database they already control so they can query and join it themselvesnot Paperform

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Paperform

  • Free plan limited to 30 submissions per month
  • Additional submissions beyond plan limits incur overage fees
  • Custom domains require additional $20 per month fee on Pro plan

Umami

  • There is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • Self-hosting is only free in licence terms; you own the database, the upgrades, the backups and the query performance at scale, and a busy site's events table grows quickly enough to need real attention.
  • Because it stores no persistent identifier, it cannot follow a user across devices or sessions in any meaningful way, which makes returning-visitor and lifetime-value questions unanswerable by design rather than by omission.
  • Cloud overage is billed per event beyond the plan allowance, so a traffic spike or a badly instrumented custom event can produce a bill materially above the $20 or $200 headline before anyone notices.
  • It is maintained by a small team, so the pace of new capability is modest and enterprise expectations such as SSO, granular role permissions and formal support agreements are limited compared with commercial analytics vendors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Paperform

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user
    • 30 submissions per month
    • 5 payment submissions per month
  • Essentials$24/month
    • 1 user
    • 1,200 submissions per year
    • 240 payment submissions per year
  • Pro$49/month
    • 3 users
    • 12,000 submissions per year
    • 3,000 payment submissions per year
  • Business$99/month
    • 5 users plus $9 per additional user (up to 25)
    • 120,000 submissions per year
    • 30,000 payment submissions per year

Umami

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • MIT licensed, no licence fee
    • No event limit imposed by the software
    • Unlimited websites and users
  • Cloud HobbyFree
    • Up to 100,000 events per month
    • 3 websites
    • 6 months data retention
  • Cloud Pro$20/month
    • Up to 1,000,000 events per month
    • Unlimited websites
    • Unlimited team members
  • Cloud Business$200/month
    • Up to 10,000,000 events per month
    • All Pro features
    • Higher volume overage rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Paperform if

  • You want to start without paying.
Paperform review

Choose Umami if

  • You need cookie-free tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want self-hosting.
Umami review

Questions people ask

Is Paperform or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Paperform starts at Free and Umami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paperform or Umami?
Paperform starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does Paperform or Umami run on more platforms?
Paperform runs on Web. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Paperform for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Paperform best used for?
Paperform is most often used for creating multi-step application forms with conditional field display, building payment collection forms for online invoicing, setting up appointment scheduling with calendar integration, collecting customer signatures on contracts and agreements. Of those, creating multi-step application forms with conditional field display and building payment collection forms for online invoicing are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Paperform do that Umami cannot?
Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Paperform: Is there a free version of Paperform?

Yes, Paperform offers a free plan with 1 user, 30 submissions per month, and 100 MB storage at no cost.

Source
Umami: Is Umami really free?

Self-hosted, yes; it is MIT licensed with no event cap. You pay for the server and database. Umami Cloud has a free tier at 100,000 events a month and paid tiers from $20.

Paperform: Does Paperform offer a free trial for paid plans?

Paperform offers a 7-day unrestricted trial for all paid plans without requiring a credit card.

Source
Umami: Do I need a cookie consent banner?

For Umami analytics specifically, generally no, because it sets no cookies and stores no personal data. Other tags on your site may still require one.

Paperform: What payment processing options does Paperform support?

All Paperform plans include payment processing via Stripe, Square, Braintree, or PayPal.

Source
Umami: Can it replace Google Analytics?

For traffic, referrers and event counts, yes. For attribution modelling, audiences and advertising integration, no.

Paperform: When does Paperform charge for custom domains?

Custom domains are available on the Pro and Business plans, with an additional $20 per month fee for this feature.

Source
Umami: What does it need to run?

A container and a PostgreSQL or MySQL database. Most people deploy it on infrastructure they already pay for.

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